[Anupam Nath/AP]
Adults known as Greece’s “lost children,” sent abroad for adoption in the 1950s and 1960s, gather Thursday to mark their path back to citizenship, a year after a decision recognized them.
Among them is Mary Cardaras, “baby number 44488,” who was born in Athens, placed in a municipal nursery nine days later and adopted in the United States. Learning her story was one of thousands, she became a voice in a movement seeking restoration of nationality and identity.
Cardaras, alongside scholar Gonda Van Steen, whose research on Cold War-era adoptions informed the campaign, met Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last year. “We spoke for an hour and a half, and that meeting changed everything,” Cardaras said.
Months later, the Interior Ministry opened a legal pathway for recognition. The event, held at the American College of Greece, doubles as thanks to supporters and a reminder of research’s role in policy. Participants traveled from the United States, Britain and the Netherlands.
Organizers said the law helps heal a painful era of family separation.